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722, Prince of Wales Road


Guest ellielambert

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Guest ellielambert

Hi,

I am looking to discover the history of 722, Prince of Wales Road. There is now an office development on it and I have been told there used to be Davies works there. Can anyone tell me anything more? Does anyone know what exact building was on the 722 site? Does anyone of memories of this place?

Many thanks,

Ellie

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Hi,

I am looking to discover the history of 722, Prince of Wales Road. There is now an office development on it and I have been told there used to be Davies works there. Can anyone tell me anything more? Does anyone know what exact building was on the 722 site? Does anyone of memories of this place?

Many thanks,

Ellie

I wonder if the really is "Davies works" or whether it could just be "Davys", any thoughts ?

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Guest octoberchick

It originally started as Davy Bros a large engineering and manufacturing company. Later renamed Davy-Loewy (pronounced Lurvy), then renamed Davy Mckee when it was one of the largest engineering and manufacturing companies. It suffered huge redundancies around 1991 when almost 400 people lost their jobs. It was taken over again and renamed Trafalgar House where again there were large numbers made redundant around 200 (i was one of them). It was then taken over and renamed Kvaevener. From the major redundancies in the early 90's it slowly lost it's standing. There is still a Davy presence in Davy Markham's who work from one of the large manufacturing bays.

The tower building now known as 722 was the office block; the top floor (floor 6) was originally for the Directors and had it's own kitchen and waitress' serving the directors etc. The ground floor (now offices) used to be the garage for the company cars and the Jaguars used by the Directors. The second floor had a balcony that overlooked the 1st floor but i understand that has now been made into a proper floor.

I am sure if you looked on the internet there would be lots of info on Davy Bros, Davy Mckee as it was THE place to work - no references need if you had worked at Davy's!!

Manufacturers of Steel Rolling mills all over the country as well as China, India, Mexico etc. The Thames Barrier in london was partly made by Davy Loewy.

Hi,

I am looking to discover the history of 722, Prince of Wales Road. There is now an office development on it and I have been told there used to be Davies works there. Can anyone tell me anything more? Does anyone know what exact building was on the 722 site? Does anyone of memories of this place?

Many thanks,

Ellie

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It originally started as Davy Bros a large engineering and manufacturing company. Later renamed Davy-Loewy (pronounced Lurvy), then renamed Davy Mckee when it was one of the largest engineering and manufacturing companies. It suffered huge redundancies around 1991 when almost 400 people lost their jobs. It was taken over again and renamed Trafalgar House where again there were large numbers made redundant around 200 (i was one of them). It was then taken over and renamed Kvaevener. From the major redundancies in the early 90's it slowly lost it's standing. There is still a Davy presence in Davy Markham's who work from one of the large manufacturing bays.

The tower building now known as 722 was the office block; the top floor (floor 6) was originally for the Directors and had it's own kitchen and waitress' serving the directors etc. The ground floor (now offices) used to be the garage for the company cars and the Jaguars used by the Directors. The second floor had a balcony that overlooked the 1st floor but i understand that has now been made into a proper floor.

I am sure if you looked on the internet there would be lots of info on Davy Bros, Davy Mckee as it was THE place to work - no references need if you had worked at Davy's!!

Manufacturers of Steel Rolling mills all over the country as well as China, India, Mexico etc. The Thames Barrier in london was partly made by Davy Loewy.

Welcome to the site Octoberchick. What a great first post. It sounds like you have personel experience with "Davy's"

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Welcome to the site Octoberchick. What a great first post. It sounds like you have personel experience with "Davy's"

Welcome one and all, thought it sounded like Davy's :rolleyes: - never heard of 'em lol

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Guest octoberchick

started on a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) in 1984 for 12 months (£16 per week!!) gained full time employment until redundancy in 1994.

Welcome to the site Octoberchick. What a great first post. It sounds like you have personel experience with "Davy's"
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I have a book all aboutthe old tram system inthe 1950's///on of the shots is of a Roberts car passing that building.

It is a very unsusal image as there is some graffitti on the bridge...something which must ahve been pretty rare back then.

Anyhoo on the bridge someone has painted "SACK THE TORIES NOT THE WORKERS"

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I have a book all about the old tram system inthe 1950's....one of the shots is of a Roberts car passing that building.

It is a very unsusal image as there is some graffitti on the bridge...something which must have been pretty rare back then.

Anyhoo on the bridge someone has painted "SACK THE TORIES NOT THE WORKERS"

The reason I like this shot so much is that if you go down there now and look carefully you can still see it under a layer of black paint

Its on the 'Manor' side of the bridge on the same side as the office block.

It makes you wonder....what if we had have sacked the Tories would we still have a steel industry?

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Guest ellielambert

I have a book all about the old tram system inthe 1950's....one of the shots is of a Roberts car passing that building.

It is a very unsusal image as there is some graffitti on the bridge...something which must have been pretty rare back then.

Anyhoo on the bridge someone has painted "SACK THE TORIES NOT THE WORKERS"

The reason I like this shot so much is that if you go down there now and look carefully you can still see it under a layer of black paint

Its on the 'Manor' side of the bridge on the same side as the office block.

It makes you wonder....what if we had have sacked the Tories would we still have a steel industry?

Oooh, that picture sound very fitting would you be able to scan that picture and post it on here or email me it please?

Thanks for all the comments and memories people, keep them coming if possible.

Ellie

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I havent got a scanner ....sorry

By the way...I have been down there today and some spoil sport has painted the bridge and the graffiti has gone for ever!!!

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Guest c00lh4nd

Good post octoberchick.

Both my cousins and my uncle worked in Davy's starting as apprentices and working through the periods of Davy's, Davy's Loewy & Davy Mckees. My uncle was a crane driver but I was never really sure what my cousins did.

Some fine memories of where they lived on Mather Rd, and fish n chips from the Half Moon pub with the take out shop..

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Guest Mick Steeper

Davy Brothers came to the Darnall site in 1921.

The firm started out as a millwrighting business at Lady's Bridge in about 1830, run by brothers David and Dennis (a third, Joseh, woukd later join). At first they built machine tools including sawbenches, but soon graduated to steam engines. In 1851 they bought the Park Iron Works, the site of Sheffield's first blast furnaces (buily by Binks and Hartop) near Norfolk Bridge. The now-derilict site (most recently an automotive suspension works owned by Meritor) is at the junction of Leveson Street and Foley Street.

Operating the Park foundry gave Davy's the biggest casting capacity in the city and they were soon engaged, whether they liked it or not, to build heavy machinery for the great steel firms. Though David was killed in 1865 in a works accident, the firm was in the right place to grow through the MASSIVE expansion of the city's steel capacity in the 1870s and 80s. It specialised in forging presses and mill engines, and the "Holmes Patent" for a hydraulic intensifier was licensed to the United Engineering Co. of Pittsburgh, USA in exchange for rolling mill design licences.

Davy built the River Don Engine, as well as the mill it drove, in 1905. It first operated at Cammell's Grimesthorpe Works on Carlisle Street East, only moving to the River Don Works and so acquiring its modern name in around 1960, after Vickers and Cammell's had combined to form the English Steel Coropration.

The Darnall Works was built using soft loans offered by the government in return for contribution to the war effort. Davy's may have built as many as a thousand shell presses in the decade of WWI. Park remained the main site until it was bombed in December 1940. Thereafter, a progressive move to Darnall began, culminating in 1953 with the building of the tower block (now 722 Prince of Wales Road). By then, the firm had become Davy United following a merger with its US licence partner. One of the last jobs at the Park foundry was the making of the main pivot bearings for the Jodrell Bank radio telescope.

The 1960s were boom years, and apprenticeships as both craftsmen and draughtsmen were highly prized and respected. By now, though, Sheffield was no longer the centre of the Davy empire. Steelplant was just one line, with chemical and oil and gas processing being the main focus of an international corporation. The firm was moreover destined for an unenviable record, as the only one to hold the British industry record for a single-contract commercial loss twice. The first disaster was in 1971, at the Conoco oil refinery on the Humber estuary. Over a thousand jobs were lost in the city. A partial recovery by the 80s (including making the actuation mechanism of the Thames Barrier) was ended by the second, on the Emerald Field project in 1990. Neither contract had anything to do with Sheffield, but that didn't prevent the sell-off of the business to Trafalgar House and further huge redundancies. A weakened firm was later sold when Trafalgar itself foundered, going to Kvaerner of Norway. It was then split in 1999, with Kvaerner (now in dire straits themselves) retaining the manufacturing concern and selling the design part to VATech of Austria. Since then, both halves have changed ownership again, the manufacturing business via management buyout to restore the name as Davy Markham and the design business now part of Siemens as Siemens VAI. The designers moved out of Darnall in 2000 and now occupy a block on the Sheffield Bsiness Park on Europa Link.

This design business in particular is today in strong shape, designing and supplying plate mills to China and many other countries world-wide. Exactly a hundred years after the River Don Engine, it commissioned a mill wider than the River Don Engine's mill (5 metres over the RDE's 14 feet) for the first time, and has taken orders for eight more such mills since. Davy Markham have carried out some remarkable projects lately, including its biggest-ever press-frame and the core of Heatherwick's "B of the Bang". Both firms often work with Forgemasters to form a "Golden Triangle" of steelplant heavy equipment specialists.

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Davy's were also noted for being the first firm to introduce, in October 1881, electric lighting to a large woks.

Some more information of Davys :

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I started at Davy Loewy in 1980 as an apprentice & stayed until redundancy in 1992. Was a great place to work for.

722 was the home of J G Osborne ,rose cotage , haulage,

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722 was the home of J G Osborne (lawson osborne),rose cotage , haulage,

lawson osborne died 1962 , his younger daughter is still alive , and lives in warsop . wendy osborne ,

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722 is now the headquarters of the NHS in Sheffield,although I don't think they occupy all the building.

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Guest lazarus

I wonder if the really is "Davies works" or whether it could just be "Davys", any thoughts ?

In the 1974 Kellys Directory there wasnt a 722 Prince of Wales Rd but there was a 730 which was the address of DAVY UNITED.

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In the 1974 Kellys Directory there wasnt a 722 Prince of Wales Rd but there was a 730 which was the address of DAVY UNITED.

74

1960 the year that rose cottage was to be davys car park

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74

1960 the year that rose cottage was to be davys car park

722 was the home of j g osborne transport ,lawson osborne ,wife dolly osborne , son eric,twins joan and ada ,and the young one wendy the last to survive today ,

sheflex lorrys , erf's albions , leylands ,

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Guest wobblybob

We moved out of 730 Prince of Wales Road in 1971 and the row of 12 terraced houses was pulled down about a year later. Our house was 6 up from the bottom house so I think the Davy's Office block should be 742 if they want to be historically correct.

There were a few of the houses occupied by Davy's workers, the Rawlins, Furnaces and Birches at least.

Shame really cos they were nice houses and could easily have been done up.

I still have a picture of the house if I knew how to put it on I would.

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1971 Kelly's Directory, Maurice Rawlins, Davy & United Engineering Ltd, engineers.

Davy & United Instruments Ltd.

We moved out of 730 Prince of Wales Road in 1971 and the row of 12 terraced houses was pulled down about a year later. Our house was 6 up from the bottom house so I think the Davy's Office block should be 742 if they want to be historically correct.

There were a few of the houses occupied by Davy's workers, the Rawlins, Furnaces and Birches at least.

Shame really cos they were nice houses and could easily have been done up.

I still have a picture of the house if I knew how to put it on I would.

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1968 Kelly's

718 P of W R, Gerald Birch

740 Joseph Davies

Davy & United Engineering Co. Ltd, engineers

Davy & United Instruments Ltd

We moved out of 730 Prince of Wales Road in 1971 and the row of 12 terraced houses was pulled down about a year later. Our house was 6 up from the bottom house so I think the Davy's Office block should be 742 if they want to be historically correct.

There were a few of the houses occupied by Davy's workers, the Rawlins, Furnaces and Birches at least.

Shame really cos they were nice houses and could easily have been done up.

I still have a picture of the house if I knew how to put it on I would.

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1957 Kelly's

740 Joseph Davies

742 Mrs Frances Worral

Davy & United Engineering Co. Ltd, engineers

We moved out of 730 Prince of Wales Road in 1971 and the row of 12 terraced houses was pulled down about a year later. Our house was 6 up from the bottom house so I think the Davy's Office block should be 742 if they want to be historically correct.

There were a few of the houses occupied by Davy's workers, the Rawlins, Furnaces and Birches at least.

Shame really cos they were nice houses and could easily have been done up.

I still have a picture of the house if I knew how to put it on I would.

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